Copper gains more than 1 per cent

COPPER futures have closed higher on the London Metal Exchange (LME), boosted by a stronger-than-expected US jobs report and some opportunistic buying ahead of a long weekend in London.

The LME's flagship three-month copper contract was up 1.1 per cent at $US6,719 a metric ton.

The rest of the base-metal complex was mixed, with aluminium closing 0.1 per cent lower at $US1,787 a ton and nickel falling 0.1 per cent to $US18,250 a ton.

The US in April gained jobs at the fastest pace in more than two years and the jobless rate fell, a sign the economy has rebounded from a winter rut. Nonfarm payrolls grew by 288,000 in April, the best month of job creation since January 2012.

The data lent some support to base metals prices, which are sensitive to economic news and data due to their wide use in construction and manufacturing.

Technical buying exacerbated copper's gains Friday, according to traders. The metal's break above technical resistance at $US6,680 a ton -- and subsequent move above $US6,700 a ton -- triggered a round of stop-loss orders, or commands to automatically buy at a certain level, said a London-based trader.

The upcoming long weekend in London also saw traders cover their short positions ahead of the holiday, the trader said.